The Latest: Trump surveys wildfire devastation in California
Posted November 17, 2018 11:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WASHINGTON — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):
2:30 p.m.
President Donald Trump has arrived in Chico, California, as he surveys wildfire devastation.
He flew aboard Marine One after landing at Beale Air Force Base near Sacramento.
The presidential motorcade has driven past some scorched fields as well as destroyed homes and burned out cars.
Along the route are some bystanders who are holding Trump signs.
One man was holding a garden rake to which he taped a sign that said: “Our Fault: Really?”
That seems to be a reaction to Trump’s first reaction to the fires, when he tweeted last week: “There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests.”
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12:45 p.m.
The killer wildfire in Northern California and the recent country-music bar shooting hundreds of miles south have drawn President Donald Trump to the state for a one-day visit.
He’s touring the scorched areas and plans to talk with state leaders and first responders.
He’s also expected to visit with gunfire victims and their families in Southern California.
The president left Washington early in the morning and isn’t expected to return to the White House until well past midnight.
He plans to get a firsthand look at the devastation from the fires. At least 71 people have died, and authorities are trying to locate more than 1,000 people, though not all are believed missing.
The Associated Press
